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Studios sue DVD backup tool distributors

18 September 2003 12:52 by Petteri "dRD" Pyyny | 19 comments

Two Hollywood studios, Paramount Pictures (owned by Viacom) and 20th Century Fox (owned by News Corp), have sued several small software developers and distributors in the U.S. for selling tools that allow backing up copy-protected DVD-Video discs.

Studios have filed suits against Tritton Technologies, QOJ, World Reach and Proto Ventures and studios are seeking a premilinary injunction in order to stop the sales of their tools and unspecified amount of damages under the controversial DMCA law.

DMCA outlaws tools that allow circumventing copy-protection technologies, such as CSS. Previously studios have attacked against distributors of freeware tool DeCSS and against the 321 Studios, the creators of DVDXCopy.

Most of the companies now sued are simply selling DVD backup products via their websites and according to various sources, some of them simply sell packages made out of freeware tools. At least one of the companies in question, QOJ, has managed to get itself into virtually all known spam blacklists in the world with their domain copiesanything.com. Tritton is the only one of the companies now sued that has brick-and-mortar distribution deals with major retailers in the U.S.

More information:

BusinessWeek
Wired

Permalink to this article

321 Studios shuts down (2 August 2004)

Studios sue retailer for selling DVD X Copy (28 May 2004)

Judge: 321 Studios must stop selling DVD X Copy (20 February 2004)

Australian retailer forced to pull DVD X Copy (16 February 2004)

DVD CCA sued 321 Studios (13 February 2004)

Final DeCSS case dropped unexpectedly (22 January 2004)

Macrovision sues 321 Studios (7 January 2004)

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Toiletman (Senior Member) 18 September 2003 16:56
"Most of the companies now sued are simply selling DVD [backup] products via their websites and according to various sources" Did you read that? BACK UP. Either you give us free backups, with no hassle, no delivery charge, completely free, and the back up arrives in 4 hours max, BACK OFF and let us BACK UP our ORIGINAL copies. Got that? Good. When you are on your deathbed, you will wonder, "Did I waste my life? Was it worth spending all that time on that?" Do not despair, no one has wasted their life. After all, you can only waste something if you throw it away. And you can't throw life away. [ + quote]
jateshk (Newbie) 18 September 2003 19:32
f u c k i ng a s s h ol es. we buy our dvd's and we have a right to back them up legally! [ + quote]
jonnydoe. (Member) 18 September 2003 23:36
Oh look, someone else getting sued in america what a fucking surprise!! lol JD [ + quote]
mystic (Member) 19 September 2003 4:11
oh they'll go after the parent company for writing the software but you dont see them going afterr walmart who sells a dvd/cd copying package for 19.95 ... so the ones on the net or direct company order are fine but if its at walmart nobody cares.... as long as the goverment gets their cut in the taxes for selling it..... it still amasing that any court will even listine to the studios since all the perviously unreleased films are being released by them in the first place..... its sad when our courts are being wasted for no reason... the court should fine the studios and the RIAA for wasting the courts time .......... [ + quote]
r4may (Newbie) 19 September 2003 10:26
There are other uses for backup other than their crappy films/music such as computer systems, like windoze which always seem to require regular restores. [ + quote]
DVDDude32 (Inactive) 19 September 2003 11:27
this sux god dammit we have rights they cant tell us wut to do with our discs! DVDDude321 [ + quote]
GrayArea (Member) 19 September 2003 15:07
Consumer fair use rights are rapidly becoming a thing of the past. They are basically already gone in the EU for any digital media and will be soon the USA as well. The MPAA and the RIAA are wrecking up a lot more than movies and music in their bid to own the world. Since steak knives can be used to stab someone they are now illegal along with any other objects that could possibly be used to cut yer meat. Anyone caught attempting to cut their meat with these dangerous weapons or even talking in public about ways to cut yer meat will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and face large fines and/or jail time... We mustn't lower ourselves to the level of those we loathe, lest we become loathsome ourselves. [ + quote]
ScubaPete (AfterDawn Addict) 19 September 2003 17:11
The bottle has been opened (the tools for "ripping" are here and we have them) as long as there is an Internet, movies will be backed up and music files will be shared. The recording companies and the movie industry are only concerned with, in whose pockets does the money lie and can they get their hands on it. The lawyers call it the �Deep Pocket Principle�. We can only watch and wait - Compaq 8000, Pent 4 CPU 2.80GHz, 1GB RAM. 340GB HD, 7200 (Maxtor 120, Western 200 & 20. 3 Drives, JLMS DVD ROM, HP DVD Writer 200j, Nec 4X DVD RW ND-1300A. GeForce4 Ti 4200-128MB, OS� XP sp1. http://www.sub-sea.net [ + quote]
actech (Member) 20 September 2003 7:02
if everyone would shoot one lawyer the world would be a better place. too many bull@#*& lawsuits. [ + quote]
PDR60 (Inactive) 20 September 2003 16:34
Thomas Jefferson was right!!!! "First we Hang all the Lawyers"!!!!!! [ + quote]
GrayArea (Member) 22 September 2003 12:48
The first thing we do let's kill all the lawyers. --II Henry VI, IV:2 William Shakespeare We mustn't lower ourselves to the level of those we loathe, lest we become loathsome ourselves. [ + quote]
Otherone (Inactive) 14 February 2004 17:54
I thought dvdxcopy backed up dvd, not really copy it. There is a dvd copy warning screen and I am not sure, but can a back up be made from a backup? And i also thought that 'backup' was ok, so long as it is your own copy not for sale or profit. I am sure glad I have my DVDXCopy!!! [ + quote]
BORI (Inactive) 14 February 2004 18:27
I have been backing up my stuff for 20 years now i would back up my vhs, music tapes, cd's I would record my favorite shows etc... So if this assholes think that they can stop us from backing up what is rightfully ours they might as well turn the whole damn world into communism where Hollywood, Microsoft and the Fu%$!ng RIAA are the supreme rulers. ASUS P4P800, P4 2.8@3.36GHZ,1GIG PC3200 DDR RAM, 120GB MAXTOR HD, SONY DVD ROM, SONY DVD RW [ + quote]
ScubaPete (AfterDawn Addict) 15 February 2004 16:50
otherone, Quote: I thought dvdxcopy backed up dvd, not really copy it. Ya said - what ???????? (I'm just gonna wait until he discovers DVDShrink. Of course I could just put a "doggie treat" out there for him and hurry the process along - He, he ) Here Boy, Here boy, He, he Shrink download - http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/dvd_rippers/dvd_shrink.cfm Shrink Guide - http://www.chrismccann.co.uk/dvd_shrink_3.htm & A 30 day, free, fully functional Nero 6 download can be had here: Nero.com/us/631939541422774.php" class="korostus" target="_blank">http://www.Nero.com/us/631939541422774.php He, he The �old man� Pete (��) Compaq 8000, Pent 4 CPU 2.84GHz, 1GB RAM. 340GB HD, 7200 (Maxtor 120, Western 200 & 20. 4 Drives, JLMS DVD ROM, HP DVD Writer 200j, Nec 4X DVD RW ND-1300A & AXV CD/DVD-ROM. GeForce4 Ti 4200-128MB, OS� XP sp1. [ + quote]
BORI (Inactive) 15 February 2004 20:19
LOL Scuba Ignorance its bliss. ASUS P4P800, P4 2.8@3.36GHZ,1GIG PC3200 DDR RAM, 120GB MAXTOR HD, SONY DVD ROM, SONY DVD RW [ + quote]
Otherone (Inactive) 16 February 2004 19:57
If it was a copy, the copy would be EXACTLY the same. A backup has a backup warning screen and it is NOT an exact copy. There is a difference. Duh. Boneheads! [ + quote]
BORI (Inactive) 17 February 2004 3:40
Bonehead what Scuba meant was that with shrink you can make a FULL backup of your dvds without the stupid WARNING screen and you actually have some control over the process. The fact that dvdxcopy puts that warning screen on their "backups" doesn't define the term "backup" a backup it's simply a duplicate of something you OWN. You stick with your dvd xcopy and all their propaganda us "boneheads" will stick with the FREE and BETTER DVD Shrink. ASUS P4P800, P4 2.8@3.36GHZ,1GIG PC3200 DDR RAM, 120GB MAXTOR HD, SONY DVD ROM, SONY DVD RW [ + quote]
DaOsT (Senior Member) 17 February 2004 7:52
Lmao to true BORI I am happy to be a bone head just a DVD Decrypter and DVD Shrink bonehead ere DaOsT ..::WhO GiveS A ShiT::SO FuckiN WhaT!!::....::LivE ForeveR OR DiE TryiN!!::.. ChecK OuT ThE PenguiN GamE AnD PosT YouR HighesT DistancE ON ThE ForuM http://www.gazholland.com/ [ + quote]
ScubaPete (AfterDawn Addict) 17 February 2004 12:26
(Aaaaahhh, so nice to see 2 well educated Newbies, They will go far :-)) Otherone, Here ya go, even users of DVD XCopy don�t have to live with their warning screen - 321-Gone will get rid of that "pesky" opening screen ;D http://psidoc0.tripod.com/ Most of us (Me too) started with XCopy, but we have grown - Enjoy my friend, we'll make a convert of you yet - Pete The �old man� Pete (��) Compaq 8000, Pent 4 CPU 2.84GHz, 1GB RAM. 340GB HD, 7200 (Maxtor 120, Western 200 & 20. 4 Drives, JLMS DVD ROM, HP DVD Writer 200j, Nec 4X DVD RW ND-1300A & AXV CD/DVD-ROM. GeForce4 Ti 4200-128MB, OS� XP sp1. [ + quote]